Non-discrimination

Ambassadors call on Poland to protect LGBT rights

Dozens of ambassadors to Warsaw on Monday (17 May) called for the protection of LGBT rights in Poland, whose record on the issue was found to be the worst in the EU by an international watchdog. Gay rights have become...

Impasse deepens in Poland over new ombudsman

Poland's Senate on Thursday (13 May) rejected the latest candidate for the politically sensitive role of national ombudsman, deepening an impasse that has pitted the ruling conservative party against opponents who say it is eroding democratic rights.

Time to raise awareness of €1.5bn EU equality and rights programme, says leading MEP

Last month, European lawmakers proclaimed the EU’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programmes as the largest ever amount of EU funding dedicated to promoting the bloc's values such as democracy and fundamental rights.

In first, WTO names women to half of deputy chief posts

World Trade Organization head Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on Tuesday (4 May) named two women to the WTO's four deputy leader jobs for the first time in its history.

Belgium must halt police race violence and end racial profiling, says UN committee

Belgium must take action to tackle ‘police-related racial violence’ and racial profiling, according to new recommendations by a UN committee published on Monday (3 May).

Burns death of homophobia victim shocks Latvia

The death of a gay Latvian man this week after his clothes were soaked with fuel and lit on fire has shocked the country, with campaigners calling it a homophobic attack and accusing police of inaction.

Anti-LGBT discrimination ‘damages Eastern Europe’s economic growth’

Discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people costs Eastern European countries almost 2% a year in economic growth, a coalition of dozens of global companies promoting LGBT+ inclusion said on Tuesday (27 April).

Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of ‘apartheid’ crimes against Palestinians

An international rights watchdog accused Israel on Tuesday (27 April) of pursuing policies of apartheid and persecution against Palestinians - and against its own Arab minority - that amount to crimes against humanity.

Von der Leyen says ‘sofagate’ shows need to tackle sexism

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said Monday (26 April) her recent treatment in Turkey, where she was denied a chair at top-level talks, underscores the EU's need to tackle sexism.

French hijab ban risks further excluding Muslim girls from practicing sports

The French Senate's vote this month to amend the country's so-called "separatism" bill aims to ban the wearing of the hijab in sports competitions, which according to many risks further excluding Muslim girls from participating in sports. EURACTIV France reports.

EU will unveil anti-Semitism strategy as part of anti-racism programme, says Schinas

The EU will set out a comprehensive strategy to combat anti-Semitism this year as part of a €1.5 billion programme to support fundamental rights across the bloc, Commissioner Margaritis Schinas said on Tuesday (20 April).

Bulgaria must allow baby of same-sex couple to travel: EU adviser

Bulgaria must find a way to allow the stateless baby of a same-sex couple from Bulgaria and Gibraltar to travel, a legal adviser of EU's top court said Thursday (15 April).

Nordic countries set up Sámi reconciliation commissions to investigate indigenous injustices

Colonial era policies in northern Scandinavia continue to affect Sámi life, culture and land use. Meanwhile, truth commissions are being set up and aim to investigate injustices against Indigenous people carried out by the states. There are an estimated 100,000...

‘Falling like flies’: Hungary’s Roma community pleads for COVID help

Coronavirus infections are ravaging Hungary's 700,000-strong Roma community, according to personal accounts that suggest multiple deaths in single families are common in an unchecked outbreak fuelled by deep distrust of authorities.

Vulnerable adult victims of hate crime struggle to file complaints

Portugal's minister of justice has said the main difficulty for vulnerable adult victims of hate crime or gender violence in Europe lies in making a complaint to the formal instances, as "fear" is the main barrier to overcome.

Rise of nationalist parties threatens to stall progress on race discrimination in Belgium

In 2021, Belgium will mark 40 years since the national Anti-Racism Act was passed. However, despite efforts to combat racism and ethnic discrimination, complaints of racism rose by almost 50% in 2020.

MEPs call for greater regulation of AI discrimination

The European Parliament's culture and education committee endorsed on 15 March an opinion calling for a framework to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) in order to "reduce gender, social or cultural bias in technology", and the European Commission is expected to propose a legislative framework for the matter in April. EURACTIV France reports.

German school system still holds back children of migrants, experts say

In Germany, how well a child does in school is closely linked to their parental background, with immigrants and their children worst affected by structural inequalities. Opposition politicians are calling for reforms, but experts fear there is a lack of political will for the necessary overhaul.

Expert: Pandemic has exposed anti-Asian hate in France

The COVID-19 health crisis has exposed the racism people of Asian descent face today. EURACTIV France spoke to post-doctoral fellow at the Institute for Demographic Studies (INED), Ya-han Chuang to discuss how such "awareness" has been formed in France.

Unbalanced hate: Lack of data abets geography of discrimination in Europe

A lack of equalities data across the EU contributes to structural and institutional inequalities, stakeholders say. The European Commission has promised to pursue better data collection on race and ethnicity to better tackle discrimination. “Over the past few years, we...

US, Europe press Turkey to rethink ditching of Istanbul Convention

US and European leaders denounced what they called Turkey's baffling and concerning decision to pull out of an international accord designed to protect women from violence, and urged President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to reconsider.

Germany revisits integration policy as critics demand ‘paradigm shift’

The German government has approved a package of measures aimed at promoting the integration of immigrants into society, though critics say it does not go far enough, EURACTIV Germany reports. 

French minister says Poland stymied his visit to ‘LGBT-free’ zone

French Europe Minister Clément Beaune said he was dissuaded by Polish authorities from visiting what he called an “LGBT-free zone” in defence of civil liberties on a trip to Poland, but the government in Warsaw denied it had blocked access.

Brussels to rename tram, bus stops after famous women

Brussels' public transport operator marked International Women's Day by renaming 10 metro stations after famous women for one day, and pledging to permanently rename 17 bus and tram stops over the next three years to "feminise" its network.